48 ARCHITECTURE OF THE CREEKS DERIVED FROM EGYPT. ¡^CIIAP. II.
Architecture, That the first settlers reached this part of Africa from the
southern part of Arabia, instead of rounding the northern
extremity of the Red Sea, may be inferred not only from the
monuments themselves, which mark a less advanced state of
the arts in Nubia than in the country lower down the Nile, but
also from the difficulties that would have been encountered m
passing through the long tract of desert country bordering upon
the Red Sea. Whereas by the other route, the progress was
comparatively easy into Arabia Felix; and from thence subsequently
along the western shore of the Red Sea to the valley
of the Nile, where papyri found with the mummies, and other
specimens discovered elsewhere, show that the written character
goes back almost to the time of the earliest settlements, whilst
the stupendous pyramids and many other works of art, still
remain to attest the civilization which was then attained by
those who had come thither from Assyria. From the models
derived from of ancient art yet existing in Egypt, the Greeks probably
Assyria. derived that architecture, which they afterwards brought to
such perfection; and it has been supposed that in this way the
European nations obtained the first principles of the arts and
sciences from Babylonia, through the medium of the Phoenician
and Egyptian Cushites.1
About this period the territory of Western Arabia was destined
to become almost the exclusive possession of the tribes
belonging to one of the two great Shemitic branches, which
quitted Babylonia, soon after the dispersion, under Kahtan ; for.
the persons who subsequently accompanied Abraham and Lot,
only peopled Palestine and the borders of Arabia, with a
portion of the interior of the latter country.
Kingdoms of The principal seat of the descendants of Shem was, however,
®br“ and tqe Upper extremity of Mesopotamia, especially the Chaldean
kingdom of U ’r, in which, as will subsequently be seen, the
patriarch Job flourished, and which at a later period comprised
the separate kingdoms of Haran and Zobah (Nisibis). ^
Referring to the former migration, the sons of Kahtan,
1 Josephus, Ant., lib. I., cap. viii., s. 2, says, that astronomy was carried
from Chaldea to Egypt, and from thence to the Greeks; and Zonares, lib. I.,
cap. i., p. 22, says the same thing of the arts in general.
CHAP. I I . ] SECOND MIGRATION INTO ARABIA. 49
says one of the earliest Jewish historians, findingrthat they had
not any particular allotment, in consequence of the second
division of the world, about the time of the death of Phaleg,
selected as leaders, Sheba, Asir or Ophir, and Gjawilah or
Havilah,1 under whose guidance they quitted Babylonia, and
proceeded to make conquests and settlements in another part
of the world. Joktan, the descendant of Eber, had thirteen
sons, who are mentioned as being leaders or heads of nations ;2
and their dwelling was from Mesha, “ as thou goest unto Sephar,
a mount of the east.3” The resemblance of the former name to Supposed to
reside oetween Mekkah, appears to indicate that one extremity of their ter- Mekkah and
ritory was in the neighbourhood of that city, while Ras Seger, Ris Seger'
a bold cape rising to about 3000 feet at the south-eastern coast
of Arabia, would seem to represent the mountain at the other
extremity. The identity of the latter seems to be established
by various circumstances connected with its position. The fine
plain of Dhafar or Zhafàr, stretches eastward from this headland
to the town of Morbat or Mirbat, situated at the foot of
another high range, which still produces gum and incense, as in
the time of Edrisi.4 The latter, called Jebel Subhân, seems to
be connected with Ras Seger, by a range of mountains from
3000 feet to 4000 feet high, which encloses the luxuriant tract
alluded to, with the extensive ruins of El Balad and several
towns, as El Hâfâr, Sallâlah, Diriz, El Robat, &c. The Exports of
remains of an export trade in myrrh, frankincense, and gum- lIai?ramaut’
arabic, from these places, as well as from that of Morbat, in
connexion with Hadramaut, in addition to the preservation of
the ancient language by the neighbouring tribe of Beni Mahrah,
or Mehreh, near Morbat,5 appear to show that this must have
1 Bar Hebræus, Chro. Syr., p. 8.
8 Howard’s History of the World, vol. I I ., p. 63, and Gen., chap. X.,
v. 26 to 29. 8 Gen., chap. X., v. 30.
4 P . 54, Edrisi, ed. Jaubert, tome Cinquième, Recueil de Voyages et
Mémoires, &c., par La Société de Géographie, &c., Paris, 1834, compared
with Niebuhr, Desc. de l’Arabie, p. 248.
5 Edrisi, ibid., pp. 150, 151, compared with AbÛ-l-Fedâ, translated by De
la Roque, p. 328, and Haines’ Memoir on the South-East Coast of Arabia,
p. 116-119, vol. XV. of Royal Geographical Journal, also Captain Saunders’
Survey of the Coast of Arabia, vol. X V I., pp. 174, 175, 187, 194, &c.